Editor’s Pick: The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss

The odds of Dahlia successfully navigating adulthood are 3,720 to 1. But never tell her the odds.

Meet Dahlia Moss, the reigning queen of unfortunate decision-making in the St. Louis area. Unemployed broke, and on her last bowl of ramen, she’s not living her best life. But that’s all about to change.

Before Dahlia can make her life any messier on her own she’s offered a job. A job that she’s woefully under-qualified for. A job that will lead her to a murder, an MMORPG, and possibly a fella (or two?).

Turns out unfortunate decisions abound, and she’s just the girl to deal with them.

Do you game online? Are you into all sorts of geeky ephemera? If you know what an MMORPG is, understand what a JIgglyPuff is, have ever engaged in cosplay and have thought about or attended a con for gamers or geeks, this is the book for you!

Is the plot believable – not really no – but you will quickly get sucked into Dahlia’s crazy off-kilter life and happily go along with her less than plausible romp because Wirestone’s writing makes it all worth it. I was pleasantly surprised that the story encompasses a murder mystery that helps move the plot along at a pretty quick clip – I’m definitely eager for more stories about Dahlia and her life after the end of the book.

This is simply put a book targeted for geeks and I loved it as did my teenage daughter. That’s not to say that non-geeky readers won’t also enjoy Dahlia’s crazy life and quirky sense of humor, but they will miss out on some of the details that give the story a nice edge. Wirestone’s created a character, Dahlia, who is the queen of the comedic quip and she will keep you chuckling throughout the book. The Unfortunate Life Decisions of Dahlia Moss is a hilarious quick read that was truly delightful – even more so if you get all the inside geeky jokes.

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Hello fellow book lovers! Teen Lit Rocks is run by Sandie Chen, a professional book reviewer and film critic. Our contributors are all adult women (librarians, educators, mothers) hailing from across the U.S. and Canada who love to read YA. We support diversity in teen literature and can't wait to discuss our recommendations with you.